One of Mkombozi's specific objectives is to use information communication technology (ICT) to sustain and spread Mkombozi's practice with vulnerable children and young people. To this end, Mkombozi's ACTT project serves as an income generating activity for Mkombozi’s residential centre while simultaneously providing computer maintenance skills to young Tanzanians.
Specifically, ACTT sells computers that have been refurbished by street youth who live at Mkombozi and have been trained as hardware and software technicians. The refurbished computers are sold at a discounted rate to schools, businesses and not-for-profit organisations throughout Tanzania to promote IT, enhance education, create employment opportunities, and assist older street youth to make the transition to independent living.
ACTT is also currently working to establish 13 community-based technology learning centres (CTLCs) within local schools and at Mkombozi's residential centre. ACTT trains teachers in these schools to manage the CTLC as a community resource and to deliver Microsoft's Unlimited Potential curriculum to students. We anticipate that 14,005 children and young people will be trained in basic ICT by 2011. We also offer basic hardware training to street youth and additional training courses to fee-paying customers at ACTT premises.
ACTT is both a preventative and a responsive approach to addressing the street child problem. In schools, ICT can have a powerful impact on the quality of education where there are few resources available, as well as providing students with computer skills that are now usually asked for by employers. Raising the quality of education helps to reduce the dropout rate from schools and, in turn, the numbers of young people turning to a life on the street. Additionally, street youth are trained in ICT, basic computer maintenance and networking skills. They participate in apprenticeships and employment on the project and ensure that the computers supplied by the project are properly maintained and serviced. In doing so, they learn a skill that will open up future employment opportunities to them.
ACTT has developed a marketing strategy that informs the marketing of both its hardware sales and training courses, as well as marketing the potential for schools and other institutions to become CTLCs. Extensive relationship building is conducted with the relevant Ministries dealing with ICT. Income generated from ACTT will help Mkombozi become a self-financing organisation, viable in the long term, and thus able to sustain and broaden the scope and impact of its programme in Tanzania.
To learn more about ACTT and how you can support the project, visit the ACTT website: www.actt.co.tz
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